introductions
welcome to the darkness
You hear a piercing whinny through the darkness. You spin, trying to locate the source of the sound. It is the first sound you've heard—aside from your own footsteps—since you entered the forest. It was not a reasurring sound.
Then a rough voice says behind you, "You have trespassed on my territory."
You spin again. You see nothing but a pair of bright red eyes staring at you from the gloom. You heart begins to race. You stutter, "I—I didn't mean to. I'll just… go now…" You start to back away slowly. Then you turn to make a run for it. You do not hear anything, but suddenly the eyes are in front of you again.
Nice try, but I don't think so. You're not getting past me."
Silently, a creature emerges from the darkness. It looks like a horse, but with wings and a single horn on its forehead, like a mix between a pegasus and a unicorn.
This is the creature you have been looking for. This is the reason you entered this gloomy forest in the first place. This is the reason you want to run away now and never come back.
I am the sole inhabitant of these lands," the reacture continued. "You have no right to be here." The creature's voice holds a threat behind the words.
Now that you have found the creature, you are not sure you want to be here anymore. "I'm just passing thr—"
No one comes here by accident." The creature's voice is scornful. "What do you want?"
You remember your original purpose for entering the forest. You whisper hesitantly, "I heard stories…"
The creature smirks. "Of course you did." The creature's face becomes harsh again. "Come with me." The creature turns and walks away. You do not hear any hoofbeats. You notice flames flickering around the creature's hooves, but they do not singe the ground.
Just as the creature is about to disappear into the darkness, you run to catch up. You wonder where you are being taken, and if the stories you've heard are true…
After walking for a while, you come upon a cave. You squint into the darkness, trying to make out anything.
The creature whinnies—it almost sounds like laughter—and says, "Don't bother. You won't see anything yet." The creature sounds annoyed by your lack of night vision.
It enters the cave. You follow. You notice a faint brightness up ahead. It dimly illuminates a large space.
You spin, looking for the source of the light.
The creature points its muzzle toward the ceiling. There is a diamond shaped hole in the rock. Through the opening, you catch a glimpse of the sky. It is the first time you have seen the stars since entering the forest.
The creature sits, folding its legs underneath it. "Sit."
You obey, dropping cross-legged to the floor. You gaze around the cave in awe, then look back at the creature when it begins to speak.
I know why you are here. Many have come before you, seeking information. I know the stories, and they are true." The creature pauses. "I am Yukioko."
statistics
this is who I am
Alias: Yuki
Species: Uni
Height: 18 hands [6 feet at the shoulders]
Weight: about 1.5 tons [about 3,000 pounds]
Birth: long ago
Age: immortal
Family: deceased
Companion: Jicarilla
Appearance: Looks like a very large horse with wings and a mustard yellow horn on forehead. Covered head to toe in light gray bandages. Thick, matted, dark gray mane and tail. Strips of off-white bandages wrapped around forelegs and wings. Flames surround hooves and ankles. Bright red eyes.
Accessories: Two Uni horns—one purple, one yellow—on a brown cord necklace.
Personality: Harsh, cruel, driven by her horrible past
Special Power: Manipulation of fire
Habitat: cave in a dark forest
Likes: solitude, fire, darkness, nighttime, her cave, her forest
Dislikes: large crowds, bright lights, daytime, humans
[Drag and drop in address bar for full view of reference picture.]
beginnings
how my life began
Yukioko begins, "My name is Yukioko, but you may call me Yuki. I will tell you my story, but it is not pleasant. Are you sure you can handle the horror?"You are not sure. You shiver, but nod anyway.
Yuki continues, "I was born long ago, in a time when people made their living off the land. Back when there was no such thing as electricity. The only form of travel was on foot or horseback. The only communication was by word of mouth or written on paper."
You wonder what everything looked like back then.
People led simple lives. Their only goals were to survive, and to support their families. In order to do this, they needed help from stronger creatures. So, naturally, they turned to us: the Unis. We were the largest and strongest animals the humans could tame and control. But it still wasn't easy.
My father was a huge, majestic, pure black mustang stallion from a herd in the northern forests. The Unis in the north were the largest of all. They were all completely black, and huge. My father had a gray mane and tail, and his horn was deep violet. He once roamed this forest, as I does now."
You picture Yuki's father in your mind.
My mother also had a black coat, but her horn was yellow. She belonged to a herd in the south that lived by the sea. The Unis in the south had a special power. They could manipulate fire. Their manes and tails burned with it. Flames also surrounded their hooves, but it didn't scorch the ground when they walked. These Unis had coats of varying shades of gray and black."
Yuki's mother appears in your mental picture, standing beside Yuki's father.
When my mother met my father, she left her herd to join his. They lived together in this forest with the northern herd. After I was born, I lived here, too."
Trees fill the background of your picture.
Yuki suddenly looks at you. "You know, I didn't always look like this. I used to look like other Unis."
You nod faintly. Yuki certainly does not look like the Unis in your mental picture.
I inherited a black coat from my parents. My horn, as you can see, is also yellowish, but not as bright as my mother's. My horn is one of the very few things about me that has not changed. I can also manipulate fire, but I only have flames on my hooves. But you can see that. I inherited a gray mane and tail from my father. It's not as pretty as it once was…"
You close your eyes and picture a young Uni—Yuki—standing beside her parents. You see the resemblance. You open your eyes. Yuki no longer resembles her parents.
I was my parents' only foal."
capture
stuck in a cage
When I was young, the herd I was living with was discovered. A new family of humans moved into the forest where we were. The humans burned and chopped down many trees, creating an artificial clearing. After using the fallen trees to build a house, the humans searched the woods for us.
We fought back, but the humans overpowered us. They captured our herd, and brought us back to their house. We were surprised to see that another building—much larger than the house—had been constructed. This is where they kept us."
You whisper, "They locked you in a barn?"
Yuki ignores you, and continues, "The next morning, we were fitted with harnesses and hooked up to plows and other farm equipment. We were worked from dawn 'til dusk every day.
More and more Unis were brought back each day. The humans scoured the surrounding forest, and the lands by the sea. All the Unis were eventually caught and brought back to this human family. There were no wild Unis left."
rebellion
can't stop this uprising
I began noticing that our numbers were decreasing. I often saw a Uni unable to continue working. Sometimes, they collapsed in the middle of their work. Sometimes, the humans led them away, behind the buildings. Sometimes, they just disappeared.
This is what happened to my father. He was there one night, sleeping on one side of me, while my mother slept on my other side. Then, the next morning, he was gone. In the space where he had been sleeping was a small, purple object—his horn."
You gasp in horror. "Dead?" you whisper.
I took his horn and tied it to a brown cord." Yuki looks down. Your eyes follow her gaze. Around Yuki's neck is a brown cord with two horns. One is purple. This is Yuki's father's horn. But there is another horn—a yellow one.
You begin to ask about it, but Yuki cuts you off.
Many Unis tried to resist. They fought and kicked when their harnesses were put on. They ran away from the humans, with the tools dragging behind them. But the humans always managed to catch them.
Finally, some Unis decided they had had enough. The lead stallion of my mother's old herd—the southern one—gathered followers. He rallied all the Unis together. Together, we made a plan.
The next morning, as the humans came to harness us, the Unis of the southern herd called on their powers. They blew the flames of their manes and tails at the humans. The northern herds, about twice as tall as the humans, trampled the humans and knocked down the walls of the buildings. Together, the herds destroyed the humans' home.
They fled into the woods. Unfortunately, in their haste, they left behind one Uni."
You are about to ask who it was, but in your heart, you already know. "You."
Yuki nods. "I was trapped under the burning building. Eventually, the humans heard my cries and dug me out." Yuki lowers her head. "What they did to me then is too horrible to talk about." She pauses. "Then they worked me harder than ever, beginning before the sun rose and ending after dark.
The humans went after the Unis that had run away. They brought back the horn of each one they killed. I stole my mother's from the humans' collection and added it to my necklace."
You glance at Yuki's necklace. The other horn, the yellow one, is her mother's.
The Unis were hunted to near extinction. I was the only one left."
escape
no chains can hold me
I was still young, so I was strong enough to work the whole day. It was mostly the older and very young Unis that were dying before. But I was at the strongest point in my life.
The humans worked me nearly to death. One day, I collapsed on the job, unable to go on." Yuki pauses.
You can tell she is editing the worst details out of the story.
Well, I'm sure you can guess how bad it was. They left me bleeding in the fields until nightfall. Then, they bandaged me up from muzzle to hoof and brought me inside." Yuki glances at the bandages covering her body.
You guess that they are the same ones from back then.
Late that night, I summoned all the strength left in me. I dragged myself away, into the forest. When I was an inch from death, I found a cave. I just barely managed to crawl inside before collapsing.
I cannot tell you what happened next, because I was unconscious the whole time. I don't even know how long I was out. All I know is, when I woke up, I did not feel like myself…"
destruction
trashing the place
Feeling stronger than I ever had before, I walked slowly out of the cave, my head held high. I noticed that I was still covered in those bandages, and flames still surrounded my hooves. The horns still hung around my neck. Of course, I couldn't see my black coat anymore.
I soon found a river. Looking into it, I was shocked at my reflection. My wings were torn, the bone showing through in some places. My mane and tail, still dark gray, were thick and matted. But the most startling difference was my eyes. They glowed bright red."
You shiver, remembering your first sight of Yuki. All you had seen were those bright red eyes.
Looking at the cruel expression on my reflection face, I was filled with a surge of anger. I knew it was the humans' fault that I looked the I did. I wanted revenge.
That night, I crept back to the clearing where the humans lived. I closed my eyes, allowing anger to fill me up. I felt the heat of my flames surging around me—" Yuki breaks off, then comments, "I cannot tell you how I managed to control such a huge amount of fire at once, but I did." She pauses for a moment, then continues, "I sent everything I had shooting forward. I commanded the flames to burn higher. The buildings were devoured by my fire, the humans trapped inside. Once everything was burned to ashes, I commanded the fire to stop.
Examining the destruction, I felt a sense of release. I felt as though the weight of all those dead Unis had been lifted from my shoulders. I felt like I had done something great."
immortality
i'm gonna live forever
I have lived in this forest for many years. Over time, I began to realize that I was not aging. I was as strong as I had ever been, if not stronger.
Somehow, I had become immortal. I believe it is because I came so close to death so many times. Of course, I don't know for sure. All I know is that I will be in this forest for hundreds of years to come.
After a while, I began practicing manipulating fire. I have learned to control it more efficiently. I can now make it do anything I command."
Your eyes widen with fear.
Yuki notices, and does her whinny-laugh. "I only use it when I have to. I may look like a monster, but I don't act like one. Usually," she amends.
You nod, hoping she means it.
One day, when I was walking through the forest, I came across a strange thing. A small, purple creature with orange spots on her head was wandering among the trees, lost. I was stunned. I had not seen another creature since I destroyed the humans.
The little animal was in shock. I brought her back to my cave. There, I watched over her for four days and four nights. Finally, she was able to speak." Yuki stops. She looks toward the back of the cave, into the darkness.
You notice a shape in the black. It looks like a cat.
The creature steps into the light. It is purple and orange. You realize it is the creature from Yuki's story.
The creature sits beside Yuki and looks at you. It speaks in a clear, high voice, "My name is Jicarilla, but I am known as Cari."
You flinch at the sound of her voice. It is much softer and more gentle than Yuki's rough tone.
I am a Kadoatie, and my species is naturally immortal. There was once a large number of us, but now we are all but extinct. Like Yuki, I am the last of my kind."
You nod slowly. Both their stories are sad.
I also have a special power. I am the opposite of Yuki; I can control water."
Your eyes widen. "Both of you?"
Yuki nods. "Together, we have perfected our talents."
companion
my only friend
Name: Jicarilla
Alias: Cari
Species: Kadoatie
Height: 2 hands [8 inches at the shoulders]
Weight: 7 pounds
Birth: long ago
Age: immortal
Family: deceased
Companion: Yuki
Appearance: Looks like a cat. Purple fur. Three orange circles on forehead.
Accessories: None
Personality: Calm, gentle, helpful
Special Power: Manipulation of water
Habitat: cave in a dark forest
Likes: water, seeing the stars through the hole in the cave ceiling
Dislikes: complete darkness
adopted
different versions of me
Adoptables I have adopted:
links
going here and there
Yuki stands and walks to the entrance. Cari stays behind, retreating into the shadows along the wall of the cave. You follow Yuki slowly, almost overwhelmed by all the information. She stops just inside the cave.
You pass her, then stop and look back.
Yuki says, "I would appreciate if you pass on my story. Please tell others what happened to me. Maybe we can prevent something similar from happening again."
You nod. "Yes, I will. Thank you."
You're welcome." You hear an unexpected touch of compassion in Yuki's usually harsh voice.
You walk away, planning to tell all your friends Yuki's sad story. After you have gone a distance, you look back. All you see is two bright red eyes, staring at you from the darkness, just like when you first arrived.
